October 15th, 2009 Brian Herzog
The 2009 annual conference of the New England Library Association starts this weekend in Hartford, CT.
I’ll be there for just Sunday and Monday, but I’m not sure yet which sessions I’ll attend. I’ll be blogging again this year, along with other attendees, so check out our notes at http://nelib.wordpress.com. Also, look for Twitter updates with the #nela09 hashtag*.
If you’ll be in Hartford, let me know or keep an eye out for me - I have no plans for Sunday evenings and always like meeting people.
*While searching Twitter to figure out what the hashtag would be, I happened to find
@NELAsecrets - anyone know about this? It led to
http://nelasecrets.wordpress.com and uses Twittermail for updates (a la
@alasecrets and
@alasecrets2009). I tried it, but it seems like
Twittermail is down and
unresponsive. Too bad - I’m full of secrets.
Also while searching, I found another NELA conference - but sadly, we just missed it.
Tags: 2009, annual, conference, libraries, Library, nela, nela09, nela2009, nelib, new england library association, public See Also
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June 9th, 2009 Brian Herzog
Another year has passed, which means another round of staff reviews and setting goals for the next fiscal year. Bleh.
In contrast to past years, I was encouraged to be brief. So this years goals are a bit more quantifiable, and a bit less “well, that’s part of the job description anyway.” You know, the way goals should be.
GOAL #1: Improve access to information resources and library services
- Weed the reference collection, refine the ref standing order list, and reevaluate how the reference shelving area is used and begin to develop a plan for alternate uses1
- Work with Tech Services to refine standing order list and evaluate reclassification of subjects to better group similar topics together
- Continue with staff-assigned sections for weeding, straightening and order suggestions
GOAL #2: Expand and improve the library’s technology offerings
- Work with web committee to migrate website to new content management system2
- Add more website subject guides to tie together print and electronic resources, and link to expanded offerings of BPL and other MVLC libraries3
- Work with IT staff towards expanding technology offerings, such as wireless printing and loaning laptops
- Review current offerings utilizing new technologies, prioritize those needing ongoing maintenance, and document procedures to support maintenance by other staff
GOAL #3: Maintain and/or support web-based resources beyond the library’s core collection
- CommInfo: utilize staff to contact and update organizations every Jan-Feb
- ChelmsfordVolunteers.org: work with other departments and organizations to keep listings up to date
- ChelmsfordHistory.org: provide leadership for the Chelmsford History project, coordinating with other organizations and volunteers to locate and index Chelmsford’s historical resources
- Look for ways to better organize and provide access to the library’s historical collections, such as the Vertical File, microfilm records, etc.
Admittedly, much of this still falls into the “continuing things we’re already doing” category, but that is a large part of my job. And something else covered elsewhere in my review is encouraging all staff to attend at least 5 hours of some kind of training or professional development.
I think it’s all doable. I can probably even manage to squeeze in helping patrons at the reference desk, too.
Notes:
1. I’d like to interfile the ref books with the circulating non-fiction, and put into the reference area more quiet study rooms or subject tables –
Back to Goals–
2. Right now we’re using Dreamweaver, but I’d like to see us move to a real CMS - NELA-ITS’ CMS Day workshop is this Friday, so yay for good timing –Back to Goals–
3. Patrons like our genealogy subject guide, so I want to make more, incorporating Delicious bookmarks, and also linking to resources at other library to supplement what we offer –Back to Goals–
Tags: annual, department goal, evaluation, evaluations, fy10, fy2010, goals, libraries, Library, performance, public, reference, review, reviews, staff See Also
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October 23rd, 2008 Brian Herzog
I was at the NELA 2008 conference this week, and spent yesterday and today going over my notes and trying to get caught up. Lots of good stuff, but here are a few of the highlights from the sessions I attended:
Ethan Zuckerman
If you ever have a chance to see Ethan Zuckerman speak, do it. Not only is he interesting and entertaining, but his work using technology to bridge cultural divides directly relates to what we do in libraries. He also approaches things from a global “big picture” viewpoint, which is a nice change from my generally myopic “what’s going on in my community” point of view. I learned a lot from Ethan, both library-related and otherwise - read the complete notes from his “The Internet is NOT Flat” session.
Men in the Library
Being a male, I was curious about Nancy Davis’ program called “The Vanishing Male: Guy Stuff That Lures and Hooks.” It was a discussion about why men generally use the library less than women, and what libraries can do to attract more male patrons:
- Men are “seekers” and not “browsers” - they want to go in, get their stuff, and leave. Libraries should have signage that caters to this, and be more open, so men don’t have to wander around looking or ask for help
- Book groups don’t work for a lot of men because men don’t like “sharing” - to get men to a book group, have it “led” by a scholar or other authority (male book groups prefer non-fiction books), and that way the men feel they’re getting something out of it
- For programming ideas, try anything tool-based, such as “greening” your house, installing solar panels, bike repair & maintenance, etc. Men also like father/son programs, like building a bird house or a “dads and donuts” story time early Saturday morning
- To get guys to come to programs, promote them in places where guys go: the hardware store, the transfer station, etc.
- Also, make sure you have men on your staff and on your board of trustees - it’s easier to attract males if they feel comfortable in the building, and book displays are more likely to appeal to them if the books are chosen by other guys
NOTE: Keep in mind that most of these are generalizations
Genealogy Core Collection
Cindy O’Neil, a certified genealogist with the Manchester (NH) City Library, explained the resources she felt were essential for libraries to offer their patrons doing genealogical research. Her handout was a bibliography important genealogy resources, and I tried to include as many of them as possible in my session notes on the NELA conference blog. Definitely worth checking out and comparing to your resources.
Of course I got a lot more out of the conference, but these were the things that stuck with me that I wouldn’t have gotten if I didn’t go. A lot more information on the other sessions are available on the NELA 2008 conference blog.
Update: I don’t know how I could have left this out: For people wanting a real hands-on demo of how to very quickly improve their library’s website, Lichen Rancourt’s presentation on how she converted the Manchester (NH) City Library’s website from static to Library 2.0 is a must see. Even while working within the City’s content management package (which means these changes apply to any website management tool), she brought the real spirit, vibrancy and interactivity of the physical library to the website. The improvements include a flickr badge, a Wordpress blog feed for up-to-date news and information, and an events feed.
See Also
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